Shailene Woodley slams Twilight

Shailene Woodley has hit out at Twilight, claiming the hit vampire franchise sends a "toxic and unhealthy" message to young people.

The 22-year-old star of new film Divergent - based on the first book in author Veronica Roth's dystopian young adult trilogy - told Teen Vogue she was not a fan of the hit movies starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, about a teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire.

Shailene said: "Twilight, I'm sorry, is about a very unhealthy, toxic relationship.

"She falls in love with this guy and the second he leaves her, her life is over and she's going to kill herself! What message are we sending to young people? That is not going to help this world evolve."

The Descendents star also revealed she initially turned down the lead role in Divergent, but changed her mind after getting some advice from Jennifer Lawrence , who found fame in the Hunger Games trilogy.

Shailene said: "I said no, and everybody was shocked.

"I asked Jennifer Lawrence, 'Are you happy with your choice to take on The Hunger Games?' And she said she wouldn't change it for the world. She told me, 'There are some things - don't make a sex tape, don't do drugs, don't do things in public - that you wouldn't want other people judging you for. But this is the best decision you'll ever make'."

Shailene also told the magazine how she refused to change herself for her career.

The actress, who will also be seen in the film adaptation of John Green's The Fault In Our Stars, said: "I was once told by a studio that I needed to make my look more cosmopolitan, that I needed to create a persona.

"I looked at them and said, 'You just told me I wasn't good enough to be myself. And that is not OK'."